Written Answers Nos. 224-243
224. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 561 of 4 April 2017, the position regarding this matter; if the person (details supplied) is on a waiting list; if so, the position on same; if he will provide a timeframe from their appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26160/17]
View answerI am advised that the individual attended a diabetic retinal appointment on 22 May 2017 at the Mater Misericordiae Hospital.
225. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26165/17]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
226. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health the number of children waiting to see a rheumatology consultant; and the average timeframe for waiting, by county, in each of the years 2014 to 2016 in tabular form. [26187/17]
View answerIn relation to the query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
227. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health the number of consultant rheumatologists, clinical nurse specialists, advanced nurse practitioners, physiotherapists and occupational therapists that specialise in children's arthritis that are employed by the HSE (details supplied); and the CHO in which they are based in each of the years 2011 to 2016 in tabular form. [26188/17]
View answerIn relation to the queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service issues, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
228. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 238 of 25 January 2017 and 59 of 3 May 2017 (details supplied), the reason for the delay in granting approval for such an essential post in view of the fact it has now been vacant since August 2016 leaving the Gaeltacht area bereft of the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26189/17]
View answerAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
229. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if, in the recording of deaths in which synthetic opiates are used and in which sudden encephalopathy occurs, that is recorded as the cause of death or if the underlying condition is recorded; the guidance provided by the HSE in that context; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26190/17]
View answerThe administration of the registration system, including the registration of deaths, is a matter for An tÁrd-Chláraitheoir (the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages) and for local Registrars who operate under his general direction. The details to be registered in relation to a death are set out in section 30 of the Births and Deaths Registration (Ireland) Act of 1863 and the schedule to that Act. These include date and place of death, name and age of the deceased, occupation and cause of death. Certified copies of entries in the register of deaths (death certificates) include all details contained in the relevant entry in the register of deaths.
Under the Coroners Act 1962, a Coroner is an independent office holder with responsibility under the law for the medico-legal investigation of the circumstances of sudden, unexplained, violent and unnatural deaths. Any evidence provided by the HSE would be taken into account by the Coroner as appropriate if the death went to inquest. The Coroner decides on the cause of death including any other significant underlying conditions.
The Deputy may also be aware that the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI), administered by the Health Research Board, reports on deaths due to poisoning (overdose) by alcohol and/or other drugs, and deaths among drug users (non-poisoning). Deaths are calculated from four sources:
- Coroners’ records;
- the Hospital In-patient Enquiry Scheme;
- the Central Treatment List; and
- the General Mortality Register.
230. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if an equality of service consideration is made when service level agreements are entered into in the context of allocation of funds to organisations delivering services to persons with intellectual disabilities; if such criteria are published; the reason service provision varies widely between organisations (details supplied) in the provision of transport and recreation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26191/17]
View answerThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
231. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will direct the HSE to provide lifesaving medication to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26192/17]
View answerThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of licensed medicines, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. The Act specifies the criteria to be applied in decisions on the reimbursement of medicines.
In line with the 2013 Act, if a Company would like a medicine to be reimbursed by the HSE pursuant to the Community Drug Schemes or as a hospital medicine, the Company must first submit an application to the HSE to have the new medicine added to the Reimbursement List or to be priced as a hospital medicine.
It is a pre-requisite that any new medicine applying to be reimbursed by the HSE must first hold a marketing authorisation granted by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (“the HPRA”) or the European Medicine Agency.
Pembrolizumab is not licensed for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. The unlicensed use of medicines is a matter for a patient's clinician and the treating facility.
Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
232. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when his attention was drawn to the fact that Tallaght hospital had cut its cleaning budget in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26217/17]
View answer233. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take regarding the decision to cut Tallaght hospital's cleaning budget in 2015; if the persons that made the decision still hold positions of responsibility in the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26218/17]
View answer234. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if the decision to cut Tallaght hospital's cleaning budget in 2015 was sanctioned by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26219/17]
View answer235. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if the decision to cut Tallaght hospital's cleaning budget in 2015 was sanctioned by the board of the Dublin Midlands hospital group; if their attention was drawn to it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26220/17]
View answer236. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if other hospitals have imposed reductions on cleaning and hygiene similar to Tallaght hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26221/17]
View answer237. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the cleaning budget for Tallaght hospital in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively; and the amount it has increased in order to treat the adverse consequences of the previous decision to cut the budget. [26222/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 232 to 237, inclusive, together.
In relation to the queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service issues, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
238. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the estimated waiting time for a person (details supplied) to seek an appointment with an occupational therapist in a health centre; his views on whether this waiting time is satisfactory in view of this person's health concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26224/17]
View answerAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
239. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a service (details supplied) in a hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26229/17]
View answerIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
240. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26232/17]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
241. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Health when an appointment will be made for the provision of a dental surgeon to the health centre in Bagenalstown to provide services to persons in the vicinity rather than travelling to counties Kilkenny or Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26240/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
242. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he or his officials have met with the IFA or exporters associations to discuss the serious concerns they have regarding Brexit. [25946/17]
View answerClose consultations in relation to the potential impact of the UK decision to leave the EU have been ongoing with all of the relevant stakeholders - including the IFA and other farming organisations as well as industry stakeholders - since early 2016, considerably in advance of the UK referendum which gave rise to the decision to leave the EU.
I and my officials have consulted extensively with representative organisations, businesses and other stakeholders, both formally through mechanisms such as my Department's Stakeholder Consultative Committee (which met most recently on 11 April 2017) and the series of agrifood sectoral dialogues that I have hosted under the All-Island Civic Dialogue process (most recently on 3 May 2017), and also informally through ongoing and regular bilateral contacts.
We will continue to meet representative bodies in these and other fora in order to exchange views, to monitor developments and to discuss appropriate responses as the negotiations progress.
243. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications that have been made to the bioenergy willow scheme 2005; the number of persons that received funding; and the number of bodies his Department has listed that are using the crop for bioenergy, in tabular form. [26089/17]
View answerThe number of applications received for the Bio-Energy Willow Scheme 2015 was low with four applications received in total. The approved sites have been inspected by the Department and the applications for the establishment grant are being processed. The Terms and Conditions of the Scheme required that applicants indicate the end user which in the case of all applications was the same body.
